Construction of portable houses and buildings



T. DE FORTUNY Y DE CARP].

CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE HOUSES AND BUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY28.1920.

1,380,641, PatentedJune 7,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ZZZ/06ml 720771 10 z: [@7007 )125 CF/WP T V P A CQNSTR'UGTION'OF PORTABLE HOUSES AND BUILDINGS.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TnoTIMo DE FoR'rUNY Y DE GARPI,'2L subject of the King of Spain, residing at No. 1 pral. Calle de Mendez Nunez, Barcelona, Spain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Portable Houses and Buildings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of portable buildings by means of loose structural members. 7

In constructing the walls of buildings it has been proposed to use blocks provided with projections and recesses in the upper and lower faces thereof, the projections and recesses of different blocks coacting so as to lock the blocks in position.

It has also been proposed in the building of walls of buildings to provide base and pillar blocks with grooves in their upper and side faces respectively, the space between the pillars being filled by slabs whose edges fit into-the grooves.

The object of this invention is to provide a building of which all the members used in the construction of the walls, floors, partitions and .roof thereof,- mutually engage and lock each other in position.

-With this object in view, the invention comprises the method of constructing portable houses and buildings from loose structural members which consists in forming the walls of a. series of courses of building blocks such blocks being interconnected by means of interlocking projections and recesses, and in forming each floor and the roof of the building of a course of girder-like members having projections and recesses at their ends for interlocking with the projections and recesses of the building blocks.

- In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference'is made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a planview of a building according to my invention in course of construction, f FigsLZand 3 are respectively an elevation and a plan of a" building block used according to this invention, i .1

Fig. 4 is. a sectional view of the block taken on line IVIV of Fig. 3, f

Fig. 5 is a modified form of block,

jFigs. (land 7 arerespectively an elevation Specification of Letters Patent.

to this invention,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a modified form of girder,

Figs. 9 and 10 are front elevations of two other modified forms of girder,

Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively elevation and plan of a section used in constructing a partition,

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a modified form of section.

I The foundation of the building comprises a series of slabs or flat stones laid in the excavations a as shown in Fig. 1. Standard slabs and slabs for special purposes are provided, the former having grooves 79 arranged longitudinally and preferably centrally, thereof.

The slabs for special purposes are provided for corners andfor the junction of partitions with the, main wall, and like purposes and such slabs have the grooves therein of special width andarranged in a suitable manner as indicated at 6 b 6 in Fig. 1. v H

The walls are built up of shaped blocks 0, adapted to interlock with each otherin such manner as to form a wall of suitable strength. A standard block as illustrated in Figs. 24 of the drawings is provided on its under surfacewith a pair of projections d arranged centrally of'the two halves of the block, such projections being preferably circular in cross section. v The upper surface of each block is provided with corresponding recesses e. Y

A number of such'blocks are preferably providedwithout the projections 03. Such Patented June '7, 1921. Application filed May as, 1920. Serial No. 385,055.

blocks are used for the first course of the wall and are placed in the grooves I) of the foundation slabs. 1

Other courses are laid consecutively on the first course, the blocks of each course breaking joint with those of the nextlower properly finished, half blocks f (Fig. 5) are provided, each of such half blocks having a central recess in its upper face and a central projection on its lower face.

The floors are composed of suitably shaped girders g laid side by side and locked to the f walls. A girder adapted to be used for such purpose is illustrated 1n Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings. As shown in the said figures each girder is provided at each end with-- are adapted to receive the projections on' the next course of blocks. In order that such inter-engagement may take place, the girders are made of a width equal to half the Width of a standard block. In order that the girders may cooperate with the blocks to form, a finished wall, they are made of a height preferably equal to the height of a block and the projections and recesses are arranged at such a distance from the ends of the girders that when the girders are placed in position the ends thereof are flush with the wall.

When laid in the manner described the upper surfaces of the irders form the floor of one story and the lower surfaces form the ceiling of the lower story.

In the modifications shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the girder is provided with a longitudinal recess is or with a series of trans verse recesses Z.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 10 is adapted for use in making a roof, the girders being tapered so that a sloping upper surface is obtained when a series of such girders are placed side by side. Pref. erably the upper sloping surface of such girders is not provided with recesses and suitable provision is made to prevent the water from passing through the joint between the girder sections.

The joints of the floor joists may be covered with a layer of cement and color which on being worked with a brush will provide a brilliant, solid, and clean flooring, but which is of such nature that'it will present substantially no resistance to the lifting of the flooring when it is desired to dismantle the building. The joints of the walls and ceilings may be filled with whiting to avoid marking the papering or to allow of a smooth surface being obtained if the wall or ceiling is painted.

The inner walls of the building are preferably in the form of relatively thin partitions made up of sections as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings. If desired, the partitions m may be made hollow when the sections will be made hollow as shown in plan in Fig. 13. The sections m are of various lengths so that they may be used for different sized rooms. The sections extend the full width of the room and in placing a partition in position, the ends of the sections are fitted into suitable slots provided in the blocks of the main walls or in other partitions as shown in Fig. 1, and the lower edge of the lowermost section is preferably fitted into a suitable groove 6 in the foundation slabs. Partitions which are parallel to the floor girders are built up sectionby section from the lowermost section resting in the foundation grooves 6 until they reach the ceilingof the last story, the floor girders between which the partitions pass being provided with recesses 17. so as to allow of the passage of such partitions.

Partitions which cross the floor girders fit into grooves or furrows 0 provided in the upper'and lower faces of the girders. Lintels or bridges forming the arch or top ofthe openings in the walls are formed of beams or irders of the sametype as are used for the floors, the lower surface of such girders being provided with pro ec-' tions at the ends thereof to engage with the recesses in the building blocks, and the upper surface being provided with recesses adapted for the entrance of the projection on the next course of blocks.

The framework for openings in the partitions when the partitions areof the 'hol-' low type will be fitted to the hollow of such partitions, and held in position thereby.

The partitions and girders are made hollow or solid, and are'recessed, to suit the conditions of load and the arrangement of the partitions, and the weight thereof, but always'in direct relation to the size, class, strength, and design of the building.- p is the staircase, the steps thereof being each provided at their ends with pins gr; adapted'to be embedded in the'wall or the blocks 0 and as thesteps are also adapted to support each other mutually, they will form a simple yet strong type of staircase. Each building block may be provided .with a hollow channel or groove in its horizontal face, and with two suchgrooves in its narrow vertical faces- These channels or grooves may be filled with a mixture of very fine sand, and sifted ash, whereby each course of blocks may be laid perfectly level and at the same time the wall will remain air tight. I.

If desired, the walls may be made of greater thickness than that ofa single block, for instance they may be made of double or treble thickness and in such cases the blocks in certain courses may be laid in the form of headers to effect a suitable bonding.

What I claim is.:'

1. The method of constructing portable houses and buildings from loose structural members, which consists in forming the foundation of a series of slabs eachslab having one or more grooves inits uppers'urlace, the said slabs oeing so lald that a serles of grooves are formed the posltions of which coincide w1th the positions of the walls,

forming the walls of a series of courses of building blocks which are interconnected and locked together by means of interlocking projections and recesses on the blocks, the lower course of such blocks having plain surfaces and fitting into the grooves in the foundation slabs, and forming each floor and the roof of the building of a course of girder-like members such members having projections and recesses at their ends corresponding with those of the building blocks whereby the said members are interlocked with the adjacent courses of building blocks.

2. The method of constructing portable houses and buildings from loose structural members, which consists in forming the foundation of a series of slabs each slab having one or more grooves in its upper surface, the said slabs being solaid that a series of grooves are formed the positions of which coincide with the positions of the walls, forming the walls of a series of courses of building blocks which are interconnected and locked together by means of interlocking projections and recesses on the blocks, the lower course of such blocks having plain surfaces and fitting into the grooves in the foundation slabs, forming each floor and the roof of the building of a course of girder-like members such members having projections and recesses at their ends corresponding with those of the building blocks whereby the said menibers are interlocked with the adjacent courses of building blocks, and forming the partition walls of the buildings ofsecti-onal members of a length equal to that of the partition wall and having their ends engaging in slots in the main wall or other partition walls.

3. The method of constructing portable houses and buildings from loose structural members, which consists in forming the foundation of a series of slabs each slab having one or more grooves in its upper surface, the said slabs being so laid that a series of grooves are formed the positions of which coincide with the positions of the walls, forming the walls of a series of courses of building blocks which are interconnected and locked together by means of interlocking projections and recesses on the blocks, the lower course of such blocks having plain surfaces and fitting into the grooves in the foundation slabs, forming each floor and the roof of the building of a course of girder-like members such members having projections and recesses at their ends corresponding with those of the building blocks whereby the said members are interlocked with the adjacent courses of building blocks, and forming the partition walls of the buildings of sectional members of a length equal to that of thepartition wall and having their ends'engaging in slots in the main wall or other partition walls, the lowermost sectional members of such partition walls being fitted into grooves in the foundation slabs.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

TEOTIMO de FORTUNY y (le CARPI. 

